Creative Writing Project: Modern Day Canterbury Tales (60 points total)

Chaucers The Canterbury Tales !eatures archetypal pilgri"s as presented through the perspective o! the narrator# The $eneral
Prologue introduces a variety o! people% each o! &ho" is described according to his'her pro!ession# These pilgri"s are stereotypes%
representing &hat "edieval society (or si"ply Chaucer hi"sel!) thought about these pro!essions# The sa"e thing could easily be done
i! applied to "odern pro!essions# (! you hear the &ords )co"puter gee*%+ &hat stereotypes i""ediately co"e to "ind, -erd,
Poc*et protector, .ac* o! )s*ill/+, (t is easy to build stereotypes based on ho& society perceives a certain person or group o! people#

0our Tas*: 0ou are a contributing poet in a ne& adaptation o! The Modern Canterbury Tales# This story !ollo&s the
adventures o! "odern day )pilgri"s+ as they ta*e a road trip through the 1nited 2tates% stopping in places such as 3oston%
-e& 0or* City% the 4ersey 2hore% Philadelphia% Chicago% -ashville% and 5ustin on the &ay to the ulti"ate "odern
pilgri"age spot% 6olly&ood7 As a poet, it is your job to create the description of your contemporary pilgrim that
will appear in the Prologue, as well as a Tale that character would tell.
0ou "ay create any type o! pilgri" you &ould li*e (*eep it appropriate% please)# 5s long as the )pro!ession+ is recogni/able% it
is !air ga"e# Please as* i! you have a 8uestion about &hat is appropriate#
9) :e8uire"ents !or Prologue Description (;< points):
Title your poe"% )The =Pro!ession>#+ Write a vividly detailed description o! your pilgri"% using sensory details% strong
verbs% and !igurative language#
(n the description% include physical, mental, personal, emotional, and/or social traits#
2o"e attention should be paid to ho& this character relates to his'her profession ? 5re they the e@pert, Do they not
really care about it,
The characters clothing should be described in such a &ay that it contributes to the overall portrayal o! the characters
personality#
Through your description% select some area of the character's personality to either praise or criticize# Try to i"itate
ChaucerAs use o! subtle satire ? "oc*ery% irony% sarcas"% understate"ent% etc#
0our poe" "ust be a "ini"u" o! 2 lines long.
The poe" should have appro@i"ate heroic couplets (5533 rhy"e sche"e'ia"bic penta"eter)#
(llustrate your poe" &ith a portrait of your pilgrim on the sa"e paper#
;) :e8uire"ents !or Tale (;< points):
Title your tale% )The =Pro!essions> Tale#+
:e"e"ber that the tale &ill not be about the character you created% but rather a !ictional story this character &ould tell
others that re!lects that characters belie!s and priorities (in other &ords% the character in the story is a persona !or your
character)# .i*e the )Wi!e o! 3aths Tale+ and )Millers Tale%+ the "ain character in the Tale &ill be so"eone &ho has
signi!icant si"ilarities to the character you have created% perhaps in a &ay that !ul!ills the &ishes or deepest desires o!
your character#
5lso li*e the )Wi!e o! 3aths Tale+ and )Millers Tale%+ the tale should teach so"e type o! "oral lesson# (t can be
directly taught by a character "a*ing a "ista*e and learning an i"portant lesson as a result (li*e the *night in the
)Wi!e o! 3aths Tale+) B: indirectly taught by characters "a*ing "ista*es and getting a&ay &ith the" in such a
ridiculous &ay that the reader understands the i"plicit lesson just the sa"e (li*e 5lison in the )Millers Tale+)#
This does not have to be in the strict poetic !or"at o! the Prologue Portrait ? it "ay be &ritten in prose# Please "a*e
sure your prose is as formal and ele!ated as possible though#
0our Tale "ust be a "ini"u" o! <00 &ords#
CDor both pieces o! &riting% !ollo& M.5 guidelines as closely as possible% but try to !it the illustration o! your character on the
sa"e page as the Prologue description# Do -BT staple the Prologue description'illustration to the Tale ? ( "ay &ant to hang up
your Prologue description'illustration7
E) The !inal 90 points &ill be earned by you doing a dra"atic reading o! your Prologue description (this is the ;0 line poe" that
&ould theoretically appear in the Prologue)# (t does not need to be "e"ori/ed% but should be read &ith !luency and appropriate
e"otion# (0ou do not need to read your Tale aloud ? too long)#
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0ou can earn an additional < points i! you dress up li*e your character on the day o! the dra"atic reading7 0ay7
This project is due in class on HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH and to tii#co" by "idnight o! the sa"e day#